5 Initial Shelter Operations* Visit your Shelter in Advance to introduce yourself and become familiar with the building Layout so you can request a suitable Operating position. (quiet location away from the shelterees, pets and near UPS or Generator power)*Note: Special Needs Shelters /Pet Friendly Shelter’s Radio Kits are stored at the school. Find out where before the emergency.When Activated, go to the shelter as soon as possible to get the station set up and start charging the battery* Do the initial Shelter Radio Kit InventoryLet the Shelter Manager know that you have setup and will return (if you need to leave for last minute reasons ie., make last minute Preparations for Family, Home and Pets and that you will return before roads are closed due to sustained high winds. Check back in when you return

6 Responsibilities Cont’dCheck into Tactical Net then switch to Shelter Net and check in there.DO NOT Leave the Net without Notifiying NCS (to take breaks, Switch Operators, etc.)Do Not USE up your Batteries prior to Landfall when they will be needed the mostGet plenty of Rest: Minimum 6 Hrs Sleep or 4 Hrs Sleep with Several Good Naps

7 The Life Cycle of a Shelter ActivationImminent ThreatWhen a storm is identified to be heading for Pinellas County, several wheels are set in motion to insure that timely decisions are made that will insure the safety of the County residence.

8 Disaster Advisory CommitteeOnce the storm is believed to present a high enough risk of impact to the Pinellas County area, the Disaster Advisory Committee (DAC), including officers of ACS/ARES, meet in person to discuss the preparedness of the county and to make the determination on which evacuation level should be set.

9 This determination also contains how many shelters will need to open to support the evacuations and when they should be available to the public. The committee then meets with follow-ups via conference calls or additional face-to-face meetings to react to changing conditions as needed.

10 The Public is InformedOnce the DAC recommendations are complete, the Emergency Manager presents the DAC recommendations to the County Commissioners who then issue a proclamation to the Public.

11 ACS/ARES is ActivatedThe Emergency Coordinator/Radio Officer starts the ACS/ARES Information NET which is held to let ACS/ARES members, along with other volunteer operators, know important information about the storm. This critical information will also include what shelters are to be opened and when.

12 After the storm Once the storm has passed, the shelter operator will assess and repair equipment damage, insure an adequate power supply if needed, and begin sending messages for the Shelter Manager.

13 Health and WelfareIn a major disaster, health and welfare traffic will not be handled until after the emergency has cooled down. Emergency communications are first dedicated to handling messages for life-threatening situations and then those for property loss. The traffic pace is very hectic and the volume of traffic is great. Health and welfare messages are given lower priority and probably won't be handled until after the first 72 hours.

14 Where to pass the H & W Traffic willgiven to the shelter operators once a determination has been made by the EC/RO.

15 Closing the ShelterYou may receive a request from your Shelter Manager to request for your shelter to close. It is important for you to relay this message because shelters are only closed with permission from Emergency Management. Once you have permission, you can secure from the NET.

16 In ConclusionWhen in doubt on what to do, insure you reach out with questions to the ACS/ARES Shelter Coordinator.

17 Time for Shelter SetupSome of the Shelter Operators have pre-arranged to operate a shelter as a volunteer prior to the storm and most have already had a chance to work with their Shelter Managers and test their equipment from a predetermined location. Other volunteers who are assigned a shelter will need to coordinate their efforts with that shelter's Shelter Manager once they arrive onsite.

18 Volunteers that are assigned a shelter will go to their shelters, set up the equipment that will arrive onsite once the shelter opens, and test their ability to communicate with the Pinellas County Shelter NET.Once a successful communications test has been preformed, the shelter operator can work with the shelter manager to arrange to leave to insure personal preparedness for family,

19 home, and pets. The operator will need to return to the Shelter before the winds are so strong that the roads are declared closed which usually happen when the wind speed reaches a sustained speed of 40 MPH.

20 Riding out the stormAfter returning to the shelter, the shelter Operator then settles in and rides out the storm like everyone else. During the wait, the operator checks into the Pinellas County Shelter NET and responds when called upon by the Shelter NET, NET Control Station.During this time it is also important for the shelter operator to try and rests and save batteries, if they are being used.

21 Responsibilities ReviewYour Primary Communications Responsibility Is for Shelter Needs, Msgs to/from Shelter Manager, Reporting Incidents like building damage, Injuries,etc.Welfare messages should wait for a day or so before beginning to send them or receiving them.Do Not Burn yourself out even before the storm makes landfall.

23 SUGGESTED - ARL RADIOGRAMSTHE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE ARL RADIOGRAM NUMBERS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND HELPFUL TO USE FROM A SHELTER. Suggest these by themselves or in combination to Shelterees as choices for them to sendARL ONE - "ALL SAFE. DO NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT DISASTER REPORTS"ARL TWO - "COMING HOME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE"ARL THREE - "AM PERFECTLY ALL RIGHT. DON'T WORRY"ARL FOUR - "EVERYONE SAFE HERE. ONLY SLIGHT PROPERTY DAMAGE"ARL SIX - "EVERYONE SAFE, WRITING SOON"ARL TWELVE - "ARE YOU SAFE? ANXIOUS TO HEAR FROM YOU"ARL THIRTEEN - "IS .... SAFE? PLEASE ADVISE"ARL FIFTEEN - "ADVISE IF YOU NEED HELP"ARL SIXTEEN - "PLEASE ADVISE YOUR CONDITION"ARL EIGHTEEN - "PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ... AT ....."WHEN PREPARING HEALTH AND WELFARE MSGS CONSIDER KEEPINGTHEM SHORTER BY USING THE ABOVE LISTED RADIOGRAM NUMBERS.

28 Radios are Pre-Programmed Alpha/NumericDO NOT CHANGE OR PROGRAM Additional FREQUENCIES INTO THE RADIO (To keep all radios uniform)You May bring addition Radio Equipment but must ALWAYS Monitor the assigned Frequency

37 YAESU RADIO FREQ. LIST CONT’D33 WL2K s WL2K KF4ATP-10 VHF Packet Hillsborough EOCPress P4 on the Microphone to select one of the programmed NWS WX StationsDO NOT CHANGE OR ADD Frequencies on these radios. This is so that theyremain uniform throughout the County's Shelters.AVOID using HIGH Power when operating on Battery Only Power . You should be able to make contact with the Shelter NCS using one of the lowest power settings

40 ARL RADIOGRAMS ARRL RADIOGRAM NUMBER REVIEWTHE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE ARRL RADIOGRAM NUMBERS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND HELPFUL TO USE FROM A SHELTER. Suggest these by themselves or in combination to Shelterees as choices for them to sendARRL ONE - "ALL SAFE. DO NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT DISASTER REPORTS”

43 WHEN PREPARING HEALTH AND WELFARE MSGS CONSIDER KEEPING THEM SHORTER BY USING THE SUGGESTED RADIOGRAM NUMBERS.Placing suggested Radiograms in Public View might be useful as wellBE SURE YOU GET THE ADDRESSEE’S PHONE NUMBERS along with the addressCopies of these Radiograms have been provided to you

44 Reports From Shelter Who Does What?While there is Power and The Resource Officer’s Radio is working, He will be sending the Shelter Reports. If his Radio is not working and phones are down THEN You are responsible for sending these reports

45 Shelter Reports Needed Info to go to the EOC:Current Shelter Capacity and how much additional capacity is availableReports of Injuries and the need for patient transportRequests for Equipment or Supplies (Must be accompanied by Requestors Name and Title AND Phone NumberOther important Information

46 Requests for MedsA hard copy is required for eventual re-imbursement by the County to the Pharmacy providing meds for Shelterees or Staff.Special Needs Shelters should send a WL2K Message to the EOC so that the request can be directed to the proper place (and the hard copy of the request is then held by both the Shelter Op and the EOCAll should be noted in the Comm Log (date & Time)

47 Closing DownThe Shelter Manager has told you to Shut down and go Home..What is your Responsibility?Call Shelter NCS and advise that you have been told the Shelter is closing down and you request that you be able to close station and go Home.ANSWER: Follow Directions of the NCSREMEMBER – The Director of EM is the ONLY person with the Authority to Close Shelters

48 Closing Down Cont’dIf you had to move items off of the areas you set up as your workspace/desk please place items into a box and then put the box back on or near that space for the owner of those items to put them back themselves.Leave the area clean and in order. Let the Shelter manager know you are leaving, Put all of your notes, logs etc into an accordian file or box and turn them into the EOC as soon as practical

49 Closing out the Shelter Radio KitInventory the items that are supposed to be put back into the Kit box, noting any missing or damaged items on the inventory sheet. Turn that sheet in with your logs so we know to repair or replace items in the kit before it is Once again stored at the School Board Warehouse (except for the Special Needs Shelters and the Pet Friendly Shelter.) Those 3 kits are to be returned to the place in the school where they are normally stored.

50 Our Appreciation to YouIf you offer to be a Shelter Operator (If you have not do so already,) now that you have an idea of the Duties and ResponsibilitiesPinellas County Emergency Management’s Director wishes to extend her Appreciation and Thanks as do I.We ask if your availability changes do to work, Vacations, Illness, etc., Please let us know